Hidden Kindness
by Marie Writer
Summary: Just a more thoughtful look on Bruce/Natasha pre-romance - mentioned Banner/Stark bromance. Title change from, "Inner Battles".


_Just a short idea I had that could have made for a more touching Natasha/Bruce moment. Now mind you I've only seen the movie once (since it's still in theaters and I'm not going to watch it more than once while it's still 6 dollars a pop.) Also… this is all movie based not the novels or anything like that. Sorry if that ruins anything but I thought I'd give you a heads up. _

_Mentions of Banner/Stark; "bromance" - not slash._

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything._

_Enjoy!_

X.x.X.x

Natasha sat up but allowed herself to fall back to the shaking ground below her when pain shot up her leg. "Fu-" She started but paused when she heard shuffling beside her. Flinching as she propped herself up on her shoulders. "Bruce…?" She called as calmly as she could cursing herself when her voice cracked at the "u".

A voice came over her earpiece and caused her to jump a little at the sudden noise. "yeah, yeah" She rushed out. "We're fine." She spat out in a hurried lie that she hoped could, possibly, be true.

"We're okay, right?" She asked and looked over to Bruce Banner who was face down on the metal sheeted floor, sparks from the frayed wires above them splaying around him in a morbid dance of light. "Bruce…" She tried again as his fists started to clench open and close, "We're okay…" She started, _don't show him you're afraid._ "Bruce everything is going to be okay, I promise. We're not hurt and nobody's going to hurt us." She lied for the sake of trying to spare his fears but remembered a moment later that he and "the other guy" both hated when people lied to them which was confirmed a moment later when he shouted as such.

"Okay listen… Banner!" She cried out. "I'm stuck alright, I can't go anywhere if you let the other guy out." Trying to reason with him, "So you – look at me Bruce." The hulk roared from under the surface and she flinched, _don't show you're scared… don't. _He looked at her; his eyes reflected the pain in his voice when he spoke.

"You have to get out of here…" He started.

"Look!" She indicated to her pinned foot with her head, her elbows still propping her up before she outstretched her right hand to him. "Bruce I can't get out of this without you, so you need to cowboy up and help me out here. Focus on me… not… not anything else."

He was shaking violently, his hands still pulsing with his inner battles. "Natash-" He started before clenching his teeth and bowing his head to the floor. "I can't!" He shouted angrily.

Without hesitation Natasha grabbed at his hand and squeezed it. "I can't either… I have nowhere to run. Do not leave me to the other guy alone." She pleaded his eyes searching his face, heart racing when he saw a change in his muscle tension especially in his hand but she didn't say anything about the pain in her hand instead just waited on his reply. Instead he was met with him pushing her away from him, though it only pushed her against the wall serving as no purpose to her safety, as he crawled away from her, short shouts and screams as his body transformed. She could see the pain and fear in his eyes and felt her heart pang to her stomach but one furious shout from the hulk and her heart stopped completely.

Natasha huffed in frustration and began to push and pull at the bar holding her foot next to the floor at the same time she attempted to pull her foot out from underneath letting out a small cry as it popped free and scrambled away from it. She looked over her shoulder to Bruce who was now on the floor below, a furious green and growing bigger and bigger as what was left of Bruce tried to tear his shirt off before it exploded into shreds around his fully transformed other self.

"Bruce…" She breathed his name in sorrow, disappointed she couldn't keep him out of the raging monster that seemed to constantly be fighting to get out. _It must be hell…_

The hulk turned to her, fury in his eyes, and roared loud enough to shake her, like a loud bass at a concert. She got to her feet and tested her weight on her, once pinned, foot before breaking into a run to avoid being "smashed" by the raging green monster behind her.

X.x.X.x

Natasha frowned deeply as she looked out her bedroom window, watching as the clouds whipped by them as the cloaked HQ flew to their "final destination". Or so that's what Stark kept calling it, who by the way seemed to be taking the casualties the hardest – especially Banner's departure.

These were the same clouds that had enveloped the hulk, Bruce, as he fell to the ground below. _What a terrifying experience…_ She imagined wishing Bruce was still here, they could use him right now. She could use him right now. Despite being intimidated by him there was something difference about Banner.

Yes the hulk had killed people but never murdered and neither did Bruce, unlike herself – _and Clint._ She finished silently. Banner was a good man despite his own personal demons _or in his case monsters,_ she corrected. He was always kind to her and he had tried so hard to stop the transformation, he always tried.

There was a knock on the door and she responded with a "it's open" and Hawkeye stepped in to inform her that there was to be a meeting on the bridge before the departed. She nodded her acknowledgment but did not turn away from her small port window.

Once her longtime friend and "partner in 'crime'" had left she sighed, it was nice to have him back but it was a little hard to look at him the same way. Still, she trusted him with her life.

As she turned away to head for the bridge she sent up a silent prayer that Bruce was still alive, at the least.

X.x.X.x

Natasha spun around and curb – stomped the last enemy into the rubble with a grunted, "Eya". As she gained her footing she turned back to the rest of the team as Stark came over the earpiece with some sort of quip and just when Captain was about to say something 'inspiring' the sound of a small scooter motor filled the, now, empty streets.

Turning with the rest of the group to face the sound she couldn't help but smile at the sight; Bruce Banner riding up to the scene on a piece of shit pizza delivery bike, a goofy grin on his face. Without really thinking about image or what was appropriate for their current situation she met him halfway and stopped a few inches away from him. "You made it…" She said quietly and he smiled.

"Wouldn't miss it." He winked and his "Adam's Apple" bounced in a silent laugh.

Smiling she managed to resist hugging his dusty frame, his hair was a mess with white dust from broken cement and ash which also covered his dark colored clothing. Smudges of dirt on his face made him look younger than he really was, more like a young boy who just came back from playing in the mud. She opened her mouth to comment but was interrupted by Iron Man saying he was "bringing the party to the hulk."

He smiled, "Gotta party…" he said and she nodded with a soft smile and started to step back and as Stark came around the corner of a building with a giant, alien, creature on his tale she heard someone say, "You call that a party?"

Other words were exchanged between the unlikely group of teammates but she hardly heard them, instead she just watched as Banner formed a fist and threw it at the monsters nose and as his fist collided with the creatures flesh he transformed almost instantly, pounding its face into the cement.

Banner was back and in better control than anyone she'd ever seen before, especially with someone with such a fragile situation as he was in. As the intense battle heated up even more she lost focus on him, but didn't feel the need to keep an eye on him anymore. She trusted Bruce and the Hulk.

X.x.X.x

"I can't believe I'm doing this." He said and pulled his glasses off his nose and rubbed the area on his nose, where the glasses normally sat, with his thumb and index finger.

Tony grinned, "You said you'd take me." He said while jabbing his finger at his "science bro" next to him as they walked through the repaired streets of New York.

"Uhm, no. Hulk did, and I'm not even sure I believe you on that." He said as he replaced his glasses on his nose before shoving his hands in his pockets, head hung low but eyes ahead.

The brilliant but very sarcastic friend beside him feigned hurt, "Banner! You don't…" He sniffed as though getting ready to cry, "You don't trust me?"

Banner rolled his eyes, "I'm coming with you aren't I?" He pointed out before stopping at the edge of the sidewalk and waited for the 'walk' sign to turn. "Besides," he pivoted a little so he was facing Stark who was on his left. "Why don't you take Pepper?"

"Took her yesterday…" He smirked and ran his hand down his face, shifting his eyes back and forth a few times in the eccentric way he always did.

"Then why the hell are you making me come with you today?" Banner asked and pulled his hands out of his pocket so he could spread his arms out wide on either side of him, exaggerating his question with his movements.

Stark made an innocent face, as much as he could for a man of his kind could. "'Cus you're my buddy…?"

Opening his mouth Bruce went for a comeback but stopped and just raised an eyebrow at his friend and stuffed his hands in his pockets again. "Yeah, well you're paying 'buddy'." He shot back as he turned back to the street in time to see the sign switch over and he lead the way to the other side of the busy street.

"Least I could do for you saving my life…" Tony said once they were safely across to the other side.

Bruce paused, taken off guard by the sudden serious tone of Tony's voice. He wanted to say; "I didn't do anything" but he knew that's not what Tony was looking for. His friend trust him in both forms and that's what he was implying so instead of saying that or shooting another joke he nodded and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Anytime…" he smiled and winked as he said the next part, "Buddy."

Again, Tony laughed and ran his hand down his face, "Alright, let's go get some food!" He said excitedly while pulling the door open to their destination.

"You're still paying…" Banner said as he stepped into the air-conditioned building.

X.x.X.x

_All done, that was all._

_Please review, I don't need them to live but it's so nice to hear feedback on my work. If you have time of course. _

_Button is riiight there (ish) _


End file.
